Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The presellt invention relates to an arrarlgement in
an automatic angling rnachine comprising a rotatably mounted
line reel for winding and unwinding of the fishing line, an
electric motor for driving the line reel, an electromagnetic
clutch and control circui-ts for connecting and disconnecting
of the various functions of the machine by means of the clutch.
A fully automatic angling machine of the above-mentioned
type is i.e. known from US patent ~o. 3,365,~33. This known
angling or fishing machine comprises a clutch providing for
connection and disconnection of various functions, the machine
being provided with control circuits and with a depth pointer
and a plurality of switches fox connection of desired operations
and fishing functions. The machine is arranged to start fishing
on a certain set fishing depth, it has an automatic hauling
function starting at a certain line load, and with a suitable
switch postion it will provide for automatic "stop in the water
surface", i.e. the machine stops when the fishing tackle has
been hauled to the water surface.
As disclosed in the Applicant's US patent ~o. 4,253,165,
issued February 24, 1981, such an angling or fishing machine
may be provided with electronic control circuits with digital
indication of the fishing depth by counting of the number of
revolutions of the line reel of the machine, and the machine
Y may further be provided with devices enabling echo sounder
control of the fishing depth, so that the machine may fish at a
desired distance above the bottom even if the bottom depth in-
creases or decreases.
Whe}~ such a machine is set or adjusted for fishing
at a certain fishing depth~ the clutch of the machine is
automatically activated when the desired depth is achieved, so
that the line reel is braked. If, however, the sinker at the
end of the fishing line reaches the bottom before the set
fishing depth is achieved, or if a fish stops the downward
movement of the sinker, the line reel will, if the line becomes
slack, continue rotating as a result of its inertia, so that a
"backlash" rnay occur on the reel (winder) if a braking thereof
is not provided for.
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The ol~ject of -the present invention is to provide ar
arrangeMen-t whicll in a simple manner can provide for automatic
activation o:E the clutch of the machirle for connection of e.y.
the braking func-tion if and when the l.ine becomes slack during
discharge (letting out) from the reelO
Simultaneously, it is an object of the invention to
be able to u-tilize the clutch activa-ting device in such a way
that one may automatically test the bottom depth and wi-th desired
time intervals automatically effect adjustment for fishingat a
desired distance above the bottom. In this way one may auto-
matically provide for fishin~at a desired distance above the
bo-ttom without the above-mentioned use of an echo sounder, and
by means of the bot-tom measurement taking device one may effect
: automatic adjustment of the fishing depth if one wants to fish
just above the bottom.
According to the invention an automatic angling
machine of the above-mentioned type is provided with a switch
operating member operatively connected to the fishing line, and
a switch associated therewith and arranged to activate said
. ~0 clu-tch by actuation from the operating member, the operating
member, by its operative connection wi-th said line, being prevented
from actuating said switch when -the line going ou-t from the reel
is in stretched condition.
In order to carry out the automatic tes-ting of bot-tom
depth, in connection with a machine which is provided wi-th depth
automatics circuits compr:ising compara-tors controlling the
fishing functions of the machine in dependence of correpondance
between a set fishi.ng depth and the position ofa plurality of
counters indicating the fishing depth, an embodiment of the
invention is characterized in that, between said switch and the
clutch, there i.s provided an electronic circu:it which, during
line discharge in progress, causes a -time-l:imited connection of
the hauling function of -the machine by closing of said switch,
and is arranged to co-operate wi-th the depth automa-tics circuits
to cause a time-limited connection of the fishing func-tion of -the
machine, and thereaf-ter cause repeated line discharge until
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another closing of saicl switcl1.
The invention will be described more closely in -the
following ln connection with exemplary embodiments with reference
to the accompanying drawings, wherein
Fig. 1 shows a schematic vlew of a fishing machine
disposed on a fishingvesse] and provided with a switch device
according to the invention; and
Fig. 2 shows a circuit diagram of an exemplary
embodiment of an electronic circuit co-operating with the switch
device and with depth automatics circui-ts in the machine to
control the automatic bottom depth testing and fishing depth
adjustment.
In the schematic view in Fig. 1 there is shown a
fishing vessel 1 on which there is arranged an angling machine
2 wi-th an associated line reel or winder 3. The line 4 from
the line reel is running over a roller 5 or the like located
on the rail of the vessel. A switch operating member is
operatively connected to the fishing line, and in the illus-trated
embodiment this operating member is in the form of a rocker arm
7, which is mounted as a double-armed lever on the machine
housin~ 6. As shown, the free end of one arm is formed as a
hoop 8 which in a suitable manner is placed over the fishing
line 4 between the reel 3 and the roller 5. The free end of the
other arm is adapted to actuate a sw:i-tch 9 which, by ac-tuation
from the operating member 7, is adap-ted -to activate the clutch
of the fishing machine, e.g. for connection of -the braking
function thereof. The switch 9 may be a conventional mechanical
switch or a magnetic switch which is placed within the water-
tight machine housing of non-magnetic material. In -the la-t-ter
case, the proper end of the rocker arm 7 is conveniently provided
with a magnet 10 for ac-tuation of the magnetic switch.
If the line sinker 11, during discharge of the line,
reaches the bottom before the preset fishing depth is achieved,
or if a fish stops the movemen-t of the sinker, -the line between
the reel 3 and the roller 5 will become slack, the hopp of the
rocker arm falls d-~wn and the maynet 10 is brought to a position
opposite to the magnetic switch 9 and activates the switch so
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that it is c]osed. Thereby the electromagnetic clutch is
actlvated so that it brakes the outgoing movement of the reel
and a backlash is avoided. When the line is re-stretched, the
switch is activated and the braking action ceases.
In Fig. 2 there is shown an embodiment of an
electronic circuit which is provided between the above-mentioned
switch and the elec-tromaynetic cLutch of the machine and its
depth automatics circuits, respectively, and which circuit
provides for automatic "bo-ttom measurement taking" with preset
time intervals and automatic fishing a-t a desired distance
above the bottom.
As shown in Fig. 2, the switch 9 is connected through
a RC link R1, C1 to the input of a firs-t monostable multi-
vibrator or flip-flop cornprising a pair of transistors Q1 and Q2
and associated resistors and capacitors. A po-tentiometer P1
is provided for adjustment of the swi-tching time of the flip-
flop. One output oE the flip-flop is connected through a
further RC link R2, C2 to the clutch of the fishing machine
to deliver a signal SC1 for a time-limited connection of the
hauling function of the machine. The other output of the flip-
flop is connected to the input of a second monostable multi-
vibrator or flip-flop with transistors Q3 and Q4. A potentio-
meter P2 is provided for adjustment of the swi,tchiny time of
theflip-flop. An output from -the flip-flop is connected -through
a capacitor C4 to a transistor stage comprising a pair of
transistors Q5 and Q6 and whose output i,s connec-ted to a gated
thyristor circui-t co-operating with the dep-th automatics of
the fishing machine, which automa-tic circuits are schematically
represented by the dashed block DA in Fi,g. 2.
For a closer description of the depth automatics
circuits, reference is made -to the above-mentioned patent
application. In the Figure the DA block is shown to comprise
a single digital counter 12 having four outputs A - D and a
comparator 13 connected therewith. However, it should be
noticed tha-t, in practice, there will be provided a number of
counters and comparators corresponding to the maximum depth for
which the fishing machine is constructed, e.g. three BCD
counters such as disclosed in said patent application.
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In the illustra-ted exaMpLe, the output from the
stage Q5, Q6 is connected through four resistors R3 ~ R4, R5,
R6 to the anodes of four thyristors T1, T2, T3 ~ T4 whose
cathodes are connected to earth. The ga-te electrodes of the
thyristors are connected through respective capasitors C5 - C8
- to said second output from the first flip-flop Q1, Q2.
~lowever, the operation of the thyris-tors is gate-controlled
in such a manner that -the anodes -thereof by a certain counter
setting, i.e. a certain fishing dep-th, show the same voltage
~0 value (i.e. "low" or "high" vol-tage value) as the respective
outputs A - D of the counter 12. The anodes of the thyris-tors
are connected to respective, corresponding comparator inpu-ts A - D.
In this way correspondence is achieved in the comparator, and
the comparator then delivers a signal SC2 to the clutch which
then during a certain -time connects the fishing function of
the machine such as described more closely below.
The above-mentioned gating is achieved in that for
each thyristor there is provided an associa-ted NPN transistor
of which the collec-tor is connected to -the gate electrode of
the thyristor, and of which the emit-ter is connected to earth
and the base is connected through a resistor -to a respective
of the four connections between the counter 12 and the comparator
13. In Fig. 2 the gating or control transistors are designated
Q7, Q8, Q9 and Q10, the transis-tor Q7 being associated with the
thyristor T1 and counter output r~, the transistor Q" being
associated with the thyristor T2 and counter output C, etc.
In the following the operation of the described arrange-
ment will be described for the case that the ocean depth becomes
larger and larger.
~hen the sinker of -the fishing line stops at the
bo-ttom, -the rocker arm 7 falls down when the line becomes slack.
Thereby the switch 9 is closed and current is supplied to -the
RC link R1, C1. The -time constant of the RC link is such that
the transistor Q1 is made conductive after approximately
2 seconds, i.e. Q1 becomes "low" and -the flip flop is connected
or set. The collector of the transis-tor Q2 then becomes "high",
- and through the RC link R2, C2 current (the signal SC1) is
supplied -to the clutch which then causes that -the line is
hauled, e.g. 3 revolutions of the line reel or e.g. for a
period of approximately 2 seconds. After a suitably chosen
time (e.g. a couple of seconds) determined by the setting of
the potentiometer P1, the flip-flop is switched back and the
collector of the -transistor Q1 becomes "high". Thereby the
second flip-flop Q3, Q4 is connected or switched in, which
flip-flop is set on approximately 1 minute by means of the
potentiometer P2.
When the collector of the transistor Q1 becomes "high",
the thyristors T1 - T4 may be fired in that their gate electrodes
are supplied with current through the capacitors C5 - C8. The
condition for firlng of e.g. T1 is, however, that one does not
have any base current on the associated gate transistor Q7,
which is in turn dependent upon the counter setting~ Thus, in
this case the counter ou-tput D must be "low", i.e. have the
logic value "0". When the counter output D is "low", the
transistor Q7 is shut off, the -thyristor T1 is fired so that
the anode becomes "low" and the comparator input D becomes
"low". As there is thus achieved correspondence between the
counter and the comparator, the comparator delivers said SC2
signal, and the machine will then be fishing at the adjusted or
set fishing depth until the flip-flop Q3, Q4 again switches over
after approximately 1 minute. The collector of the transistor
Q4 then becomes "low" and for a moment the transistor Q5
receives base current -through the capacitor C4. For a moment
the transistor Q~ becomes shut-off, so that all the thyristors
are extinguished. All inputs to the comparator thereby become
"high" (logic"1") and a signal is delivered -to the clutch which
causes that the line is let out until the sinker again hits -the
bottom. The described process will then repeat itself.
If, however, the ocean depth becomes smaller and
smaller, the sinker may hit the bottom before the second flip-
flop Q3, Q4 switches over. In a similar manner as described
above, the transistor Q1 then becomes conducting by current
supply from the switch in connection with the line-actuated
arm. Current is then extracted from the base of the transistor
Q3, and the flip-flop Q3, Q4 thereby switches over and all the
thyristors are extinguished. Simultaneously Q2 becomes "high"
so that the c:Lutch receives current and causes hauling o
the line such as described above.
As will be appreciated by a -technically skilled
person, the circuit device shown in Fig. 2 may be modified in
many different manners without departing from the inventive
concept. For example, :instead of thyristors, other controllable
elements wi-th a memory function, e.g. flip-flops, may be used.
In practice -the circuit may conveniently be construc-ted with
integrated circuits.
